Thursday, February 27, 2014

Review: Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott

“A modern day thrill ride, where a teen girl and her animal companion must participate in a breathtaking race to save her brother's life—and her own.

Tella Holloway is losing it. Her brother is sick, and when a dozen doctors can't determine what's wrong, her parents decide to move to Montana for the fresh air. She's lost her friends, her parents are driving her crazy, her brother is dying—and she's helpless to change anything.

Until she receives mysterious instructions on how to become a Contender in the Brimstone Bleed. It's an epic race across jungle, desert, ocean, and mountain that could win her the prize she desperately desires: the Cure for her brother's illness. But all the Contenders are after the Cure for people they love, and there's no guarantee that Tella (or any of them) will survive the race.

The jungle is terrifying, the clock is ticking, and Tella knows she can't trust the allies she makes. And one big question emerges: Why have so many fallen sick in the first place?”

Holy Pandora! Fire and Flood by Victoria Scott takes it's readers on the adventure of a lifetime. And gives them cute, fuzzy, and deceivingly ferocious pets to travel with!

Let's talk about the main character, Tella. She's compassionate, funny (so, so funny), and strong. It's so refreshing to see a strong female character that doesn't feel the need to rebel against everything anyone tells her and get herself into idiotic and preventable situations in the process. Tella is a sixteen year old girl, determined to save her brother, but she knows how to work as a team. Which is exactly what she'll need to do if she expects to win the Brimstone Bleed. Tella's not a wimp though, she can give orders as good as she follows them.

I loved the team work in Fire and Flood. I feel like team work is something missing in a lot of the YA books I've read recently. Especially the ones boasting strong heroines. You can be a strong female and know when you need to listen and accept that other people might know things you don't. Like what to do when you're stuck in the middle of a desert with no water or food!

Lucky Tella has Guy to help her out on occasion. Oh, Guy! He's the strong silent type, but even though Tella compares him to a serial killer when she first meets him, the boy's got a heart of gold. He's a sweetie and comes with a super awesome lion who breathes fire. So yeah, try to find a guy better than Guy. I dare you.

So, I'm sort of in love with the Pandora's in Fire and Flood. Reading that the Contenders receive animal companions called Pandoras to help them during the race might leave you thinking of cheesy superpowered lions and tigers, and to an extent the Pandoras are like that. They each have their own talents that can help their Contender to survive the race, but they certainly don't come off as cheesy when you're reading. In fact, I'd like to see Fire and Flood merchandise in stores as soon as possible because I want some sort of M-4 plush to cuddle with. Or maybe AK-7 (love him). And, well, of course I'd love a Madox of my own!

Fire and Flood has all of Scott's signature humor, but it's also got a semi-serious plot that sweeps you up within the first few chapters. The characters might be funny, but the situations they find themselves in are dire enough to have you worried about their safety. The Brimstone Bleed is a true adventure and Fire and Flood is just the first leg of the journey!